Iran-Russia cooperation to grow despite the United States withdrawal from the nuclear deal

Tabnak – The United States President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has faced with negative reactions from the other parties of the deal. While Russia stresses its desire to continue developing ties with Iran, Germany urges for an independent European approach on the international issues.

According to a Press TV report, Russia's deputy foreign minister says Moscow and Tehran will continue to cooperate on the Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even after US President Donald Trump unilaterally decided to pull his country out of the landmark and hard-fought accord.

Sergei Ryabkov made the comment during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the two sides “agreed to continue close coordination in this area.”

“The Russian side highlighted its commitment to preserving the agreement,” the statement further said.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister denounced the pullout by the US of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as a “significant” violation of a United Nations resolution that endorsed the international document back then.

During a Thursday press conference with his visiting German counterpart, Heiko Maas, Sergei Lavrov said Washington cannot unilaterally reinstate those anti-Iran sanctions, which were lifted by the United Nations.

“We are seriously concerned about the decision of the US administration to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, thereby committing a significant violation of Security Council resolution 2231,” Lavrov said.

Resolution 2231 was adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2015 to endorse the landmark nuclear agreement, which had been concluded days earlier between Iran, on the one side, and the 15-nation body’s permanent members plus Germany, on the other.

On the other hand, German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe can no longer rely on the United States for protection, urging European Union member states to take the bloc’s destiny in their own hands.

“It is no longer such that the United States simply protects us, but Europe must take its destiny in its own hands, that's the task of the future,” the German leader said at an award ceremony in Aachen, a German resort city near the border with Belgium.

Merkel's remarks also echo those of President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, who noted earlier on Thursday that the White House “had lost vigor, and because of it, in the long term, influence,” urging that Europe should take over the role of the US as the self-proclaimed global leader.

Donald Trump announced his controversial decision on JCPOA after his European allies, including the UK, Germany and France, and a number of other countries failed to convince him not to pull out from the landmark accord.

Trump also threatened all countries, the US allies included, with sanctions if they violated the US-embargoes against Iran, worrying Washington’s traditional allies in Europe.